Ahead of UFC on FOX 4, FOX airs 'UFC's Road to the Octagon' special on July 29

The FOX network will air a pre-event special ahead of August’s UFC on FOX 4 event, officials today announced.

The one-hour special, “UFC’s Road to the Octagon,” debuts July 29 and marks the first installment of the new show.

It previews UFC on FOX 4, which takes place six days later on Aug. 4, and spotlights the card’s main-card bouts, including a Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera light-heavyweight headliner.

The special airs from 2-3 p.m. ET.

UFC on FOX 4 takes place at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. In addition to the FOX-televised main card, FUEL TV and Facebook are expected to carry the prelims.

A “UFC’s Road to the Octagon” special also will air prior to December’s UFC on FOX 5 event.

Rua (20-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) fights for the first time since his “Fight of the Year” loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 139. Prior to the five-round slobber-knocker, Rua rebounded from a title loss to Jon Jones with a first-round knockout of Forrest Griffin.

Vera (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), meanwhile, most recently snapped a three-fight winless streak (with losses to Randy Couture and Jones, and a no-contest with Thiago Silva) by earning a unanimous-decision victory over Eliot Marshall at UFC 137. He fights for the first time in 10 months.